D2L Fusion 2024: Transforming the Way the World Learns

This past week, over 1,400 attendees from 16 countries gathered in-person in Toronto for D2L Fusion 2024. From July 8–10, educational leaders, including experts from K-12, higher education, and various organizations, exchanged deep insights across 215 panels, discussions, breakout sessions, networking events and more. A further 1,800 people participated virtually.  

This year’s conference was even more special because it’s D2L’s 25th anniversary. For over two decades, we’ve been committed to transforming the way the world learns, a message that was front and center at Fusion. 

If that wasn’t enough, our Executive Summit and main conference were both sold out. If you weren’t able to make the trip or snag a ticket, we’ve shared some of the highlights below, as well as info on how you can secure your spot for Fusion 2025.  

Day One: Executive Summit and Opening Keynote 

Fusion kicked off with our Executive Summit, an invite-only event that brought together thought leaders from the corporate learning and K-20 education industries. The focus for this year’s summit was “Navigating the Future: Mastering the Currency of Skills” and featured insightful discussions led by D2L’s leadership team and industry leaders.  

John Baker, CEO and Founder of D2L, and Jeremy Auger, Chief Strategy Officer, started the day with a thoughtful discussion on the major trends reshaping the future of work and learning.

This was followed by a keynote by David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics at MIT. In his talk, Autor set out to answer a loaded question: Will advancements in AI complement human expertise or diminish its necessity? During his keynote, Autor shared examples of similar periods of disruption throughout history (the Industrial Revolution and the Computer Revolution) touching on how lessons learned can impact the current AI Revolution. He closed by reminding everyone both opportunities and risks exist when it comes to AI’s impact on how we learn and work and that ultimately, the future is something we can create. 

We also launched a new D2L research paper on the value of investing in upskilling. This is part of D2L’s annual series on the future of work. 

The day ended with an inspiring keynote from John Baker reflecting on the last 25 years of building D2L, but also looking to the future. Baker cited AI and competency-based education (CBE) as areas of focus and emphasised D2L’s commitment to designing technology that enhances the human learning experience. 

Day Two: Solutions Spotlight and D2L Shoots and Scores 

On Day Two, we kicked off the festivities by honoring the remarkable accomplishments of our D2L Champions and recipients of the 2024 Excellence Awards.

Conference excitement peaked during our Solutions Spotlight, where D2L Lumi, a cutting-edge AI-powered tool embedded in D2L Brightspace, was unveiled. D2L Lumi promises heightened efficiency, greater control and increased engagement for Brightspace users.

We shared several exciting product and news updates during this session, which we’ve summarised below: 

D2L Lumi 

D2L Lumi is an innovative AI-powered tool that enhances the creation of educational content, assessments and activities. By prioritising the needs of learners and educators, Lumi aims to improve learning outcomes and streamline the content development process. 

Eager to see D2L Lumi in action? Register for our upcoming live webinar. 

D2L Achievement+ 

With CBE on the rise, Achievement+ helps teams effortlessly manage learning outcomes across institutions, organisations, programs and courses. 

Want to know more about Achievement+? Register for our upcoming live webinar.

D2L For Associations 

D2L for Associations supports associations in delivering high-impact learning programs that drive member engagement and retention.  

Learn more about D2L For Associations 

D2L Acquires H5P

We also announced that we’ve acquired H5P Group, a platform that offers a free, user-friendly web-based interface that empowers educators to effortlessly create, share and reuse engaging content.  

John Baker shared his thoughts on the acquisition “Alongside D2L Brightspace, H5P’s deeply integrated functionality will enable more rich, high-quality interactive and engaging learning experiences and raise the standard for content everywhere. Our mission has always been to bring outstanding, highly personalised learning experiences to everyone, and this is another big step toward that goal. We look forward to supporting millions of users and partners to foster better learning outcomes and to help people around the world achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.” 

Learn more about everything announced at Solutions Spotlight: 

The afternoon continued with a myriad of networking opportunities, panel discussions and breakout sessions. Conference goers continued the party into the night, with a visit to Toronto’s renowned Hockey Hall of Fame.

Day Three: Wake-up Fusion, Partner Symposium and Fusion 2025 

On the final day of the conference, we shook things up. Attendees were treated to a morning variety show featuring performances from Canada’s National Ballet School, D2L Champion Robb Nash, and more.  

Upstairs, our partner symposium was buzzing. Participants were treated to live demos and insightful discussions with several of our trusted partners, including FeedbackFruits, Turnitin and Class Technology. 

This edition of Fusion came to a close with futurist Elatia Abate challenging us to rethink and empower humanity in the age of AI.

Learning, Transformed 

Fusion 2024 united global educational professionals from the K-20 and corporate learning industries. We explored different ways to transform educational experiences using innovative products, responsible AI, personalised learning and more.  

As we reflect on the last three days of our sold-out event, we can’t help but feel reinvigorated. Yes, there are challenges ahead, but we firmly believe that reframing these challenges as opportunities is the way forward.  

Although we’ve bid Toronto adieu, our journey doesn’t end here—we’ve got Georgia on our minds. Pre-registration for D2L Fusion 2025 in Savannah is now open. Be sure to grab your ticket before it sells out. 

If you’d like to relive your favorite moments from Fusion 2024 or rewatch sessions, check out Fusion On-Demand.

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